Section: Australian Open

Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray for the third time in an Australian Open final as the world No.1 clinched his fifth Melbourne Park crown with a 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 win.

Djokovic got the better of British No.1 Murray in both the 2011 and 2013 finals and once again it was the Serb prevailed after a lengthy, tight encounter on Sunday.

The opening set lasted a marathon 72 minutes on Rod Laver Arena: both players broke serve twice in a remarkable exchange of tennis, before Murray forced the tie-breaker. However, despite taking the braver approach, Murray was eventually undone by his own efforts.

His return to set up a winner and earn a first set point was too long and Djokovic, who appeared frustrated with apparent thumb blisters, claimed first blood when the Scot netted a backhand on the second serve. Previously, Murray had never come back from a set down to beat Djokovic and that was not about to change.

The second set started in opposite fashion as the pace from both players slumped dramatically. With Djokovic struggling with thumb and ankle problems, Murray broke into a two-love lead only to lose four successive games and hand momentum back to his opponent: a trait that would ultimately cost him a maiden Australian Open crown.

A brief stoppage due to protestors invading the court provided a turning point; the standard lifted and Murray broke back. After 80 minutes, some long and fiercely contested points and a second tie-break, the Scot was level.

However, Murray’s failure to kick on when ahead proved detrimental. Flying from his levelling tie-break, he broke immediately at the start of the third and quickly held to move two-love up. Djokovic, though, was soon let off the hook; the same as he had been against Wawrinka in their semi-final and earlier in the match.

Two breaks of serve later and set three was over in less than half the time it took to finish set two. The four-time champion moved within a set of his fifth title.

Momentum had clearly shifted the Serb’s way and Murray looked to have given up the ghost. The Briton was broken immediately and, after Djokovic secured advantage with a comfortable hold, Murray dropped serve again. From that point there was only one outcome as, after over three-and-half gruelling hours on court, Djokovic wrapped up his third Australian Open final triumph against his old friend and rival with a bagel.

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Serena Williams continued her dominance over Maria Sharapova as she collected her 19th grand slam title with a straight sets victory in the Australian Open final.

Sharapova has not beaten her rival for 11 years and her losing streak continued at Melbourne Park on Saturday, as the American enjoyed a 6-3 7-6(5) victory on Rod Laver Arena to claim the championship for a sixth time.

Top seed Williams, who was suffering from a coughing fit, broke Sharapova in the opening game of the match and she rallied to take the first set, amid a short rain delay, in 47 minutes.

Sharapova offered stubborn resistance in the second but, despite saving two championship points and forcing the tie-break, Williams proved too strong and wrapped up victory just shy of two hours.

“Growing up I wasn’t the richest but I had a rich family in spirit and support,” Williams said afterwards. “Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen.

“I went on the court with just a ball, a racket and a hope and that’s all I had. It’s inspiring for you guys that want to be the best you can be, you never give up because you never know what can happen and who you can inspire and influence.

“I have to congratulate Maria who played a wonderful match. She really pushed me tonight. She played so well.”

She added via Channel 7: “I had a really bad cough and ended up throwing up actually. I think that helped when I got everything out of me and cleared my chest out because I couldn’t breathe a little bit.

“I’ve had a really bad cold and cough. Usually when that happens you stay in bed for a week, you don’t play matches every other day and practice every other day. Now I have a couple of days to take a deep breath and lay down.

“I’m going to go to bed and curl up under some covers and go to sleep. That sounds excellent right now.”

Despite having not beaten her opponent since 2004 – a run of 16 straight losses – Sharapova was again magnanimous in defeat.

She said: “I have to congratulate Serena on creating history and playing some of her best tennis. It’s an honour playing against her. I’ve not beaten her in a really long time but I love stepping on the court every time because she has been the best and you always want to play the best.

“I was almost down and out in the second round so feel I gave myself a second life in this tournament. It was not quite enough today but I am proud of my effort. I had some of my best moments on this court but also some of my toughest losses but that’s the life of a tennis player.”

Victory sees Williams move into outright second in the list of grand slam titles won throughout the Open era; lifting the Daphne Akhurst trophy again saw Williams climb above Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. She is now three titles away from Steffi Graff’s record of 22.

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Great Britain’s Katie Swan saw her superb Australian Open campaign come to a disappointing end as she lost to Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova in the final of the girls’ singles on Saturday.

Swan beat the top seed in the third round in Melbourne and saved three match points in an epic semi-final victory on Friday, where she struggled badly with cramp in a three-set match lasting more than two and a half hours.

But the 15-year-old from Bristol, who is now based in Kansas, perhaps paid the price for those heroics in the final, losing 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 29 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

After losing the first set in comprehensive fashion in the windy conditions, Swan threatened to make a comeback when she saved two break points in the opening game of the second set and then broke serve on her way to a 3-0 lead.

However, she then left the court for a medical time-out and after returning with strapping on her right thigh, proceeded to lose the next five games in a row.

Swan bravely saved two match points to force Mihalikova to serve for the match, but the unseeded 16-year-old held her nerve from 0-30 down to seal victory.

“I actually started to feel my groin at the middle of the first set and then it got worse and worse throughout,” Swan said. “I decided at 1-0 when I changed ends I was going to have the trainer on no matter what. So we went off and I think it’s a strain in my groin. It’s unfortunate but not much I can do about it.

“I think I didn’t have much time to recover from yesterday, so that’s part of it.”

Swan, who was set to watch one of her favourite players – Maria Sharapova – in Saturday’s women’s final, added: “It was tough the first set. I wasn’t really playing my best. I was pretty nervous so I wasn’t really on my game.

“Then the second set I told myself again I just had to keep fighting. If I didn’t have this [injury] and I could move fully, I think I would have had a better chance of taking that set. But I was still pleased with the way I fought and saved two match points.

“It’s been an amazing experience. Obviously my best tournament I’ve ever played. I’m really pleased with the way I’ve been playing this week. I hope that there are a lot more tournaments like this for me.”

Annabel Croft was the last British winner of the girls’ title in Melbourne in 1984, while Laura Robson reached the final in 2009 and 2010 after winning the junior title at Wimbledon in 2008.

Swan revealed Robson had sent her a good luck message on Twitter, adding: “It’s actually been crazy. There have been so many people that sent me messages, tweeting, Facebook, Instagram. Everybody has been so supportive from my home in England and Wichita, Kansas.

“I got a few new followers on Twitter, which I was really pleased with, and Laura Robson tweeted me, which made me feel real good.”

Andy Murray came storming back after a poor start to beat Tomas Berdych and reach his fourth Australian Open final.

The British number one lost a tense first set but recovered to win 6-7 (6-8) 6-0 6-3 7-5.

It will be the sixth seed’s eighth Grand Slam final and first working with Amelie Mauresmo, with ex-coach Dani Vallverdu now in Berdych’s corner.

Murray, 27, will play the winner of Friday’s semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.

“There was a little bit of extra tension – it was a big match,” said Murray. “A lot was made about Dani Vallverdu, my former coach, working with Tomas.

“But we’ve been friends since we were 15 years old and I felt that the focus was unfair and unnecessary.

“This is sport – and there’s more to life than sport. It created a bit of extra tension but everyone calmed down after start of the match.”

The Scot’s hopes were under threat after losing a tension-filled opening set, but he turned it around with a brilliant lob early in the second and took control with seven straight games.

Berdych, 29, had started much the better and served for the set at 5-3, only for Murray to break straight back in a rally of huge forehands and celebrate wildly in the direction of the Czech’s player box.

There was a definite edge to the contest, and some sharp words followed from Murray in the next game when Berdych complained about the balls.

Two more break points slipped by at 5-5 but Murray edged ahead in the tiebreak, earning the first set point, only for Berdych to save it impressively behind his serve and go on to clinch it.

Four-time champion Novak Djokovic dismantled the big serving of Milos Raonic to reach the Australian Open semi-finals.

The world number one needed just one hour and 55 minutes to beat eighth seed Raonic 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-2.

Djokovic, 27, is through to his 25th Grand Slam semi-final as he chases an eighth major title.

He will next face defending champion Stan Wawrinka for the third year running in Melbourne.

“I take a lot of confidence,” sad Djokovic. “I try to carry that in every next match, next challenge. Obviously I’m going to play Stan, who is the defending champion here.

“We played five-set matches in 2013 and 2014 Australian Open. I’m going to be ready for a fight. But knowing that I have raised the level of performance tonight, and probably playing the best match of the tournament so far is affecting my confidence in a positive way.

“Hopefully I can carry that into next one.”

Raonic, 24, went into the match with 99 aces to his name and having dropped serve just twice in four matches.

Djokovic’s return proved too much to handle, however, and while lacking the Canadian’s service speed, the Serb moved into the last four having been broken just once in the tournament.

There were moments of frustration for Djokovic as four break points came and went in the first set, but a wild Raonic forehand at 3-2 down in the tie-break handed over the initiative.

Djokovic capitalised, before taking an even firmer grip on the contest with a brilliant cross-court backhand winner to finally break at the start of the second.

Raonic, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year, could not hurt the top seed and failed to muster a single break point as the match raced away from him.

Djokovic broke twice more as he cruised through the third set, sealing victory with a backhand volley to reach his fifth Australian semi-final.

“He just didn’t allow me to organise my game. Even when he was returning well, by the end of the match he was doing a good job of playing deep and never allowing me to go forward,” said Raonic.

“Obviously if you watch the footage, he was pretty much on the baseline the whole time and I was further back.”